I grabbed my laptop from the kitchen counter and did a quick search for Robert Mahoney. “He was killed in a hit-and-run about two months ago.”
“Right before you came back,” Colt said.
Of course. But this proved Brady was right. There had been at least one dirty cop on the police force. Were there more?
“So Momma knew you were working for Daddy, figured you were being blackmailed, and somehow found out about the false charges. Who would have helped her look that up?”
Colt’s eyes went round. He got up and ran out the front door, but before I could start to wonder where he’d gone, he returned with a packet in his hand. He pulled out the papers and started flipping through them. “Emily. She took his deposition. She sometimes did work as a public defender. She must have gotten access somehow.”
“Even so, that doesn’t explain how Momma got Gordon Frasier to give his statement in the first place.”
“A couple of months before you came back, a man came into the office a couple of times to see your momma. But he came in through the back door.” Colt pointed to my laptop. “See if you can find Gordon Frasier’s picture.”
I typed in his name. The top results brought up my father’s disappearance, but when I clicked on the images tab, several photos popped up.
“That’s him,” Colt said. “That’s the man who came to talk to your mother.” He turned to look at me. “That could explain why Emily was killed. She was getting too close.”
“And she’d been looking into my disappearance too. So we have Amy, who was blamed for Max Goodwin’s and Neil Fulton’s deaths, and Emily, who was looking into who framed you. Both crimes were perpetrated by my father.”
“And both Amy and Emily were killed by the serial killer,” he said.
I shook my head, feeling overwhelmed. “I don’t know what to do with this, Colt.”
“Me neither.”
We sat in silence for a moment before I said, “This means you’re free from my father. He has no hold on you now.”
He looked mighty forlorn for someone who had just gained his freedom. “But where does this leave you and me?”
“You mean because of Delilah?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m still not sure why you didn’t tell me the truth this morning.”
“I swore to Delilah I wouldn’t tell a soul. But I called her after you left this morning and told her she was safe. She hung up on me.” He rested his forehead on his hands. “I’ve spent the past three years doing your father’s dirty work to keep her safe—all while she’s gone on living a normal life—and she couldn’t even say thank you.”
“She didn’t deserve you, Colt,” I said softly.
He glanced up at me, lowering his hands to the counter. “I didn’t deserve her.” A look of self-disgust washed over his face.
I reached over and covered his hand with mine. “No. My way was the right one.” I smiled softly. “Just remember I’m always right.”
He chuckled and hope filled his eyes. “I guess I’d save myself a shit ton of arguments that way.”
“I knew you were a smart man.”
“Some would argue against that,” he said wryly.
“Shut up and kiss me, Colt.”
He turned his hand over and held mine, then stood, pulling me to my feet.
I walked around the edge of the table and put my hand on his chest while I stared up into his eyes.
He watched me with a now-serious face. His hand dropped mine and lifted up to caress my neck, his thumb brushing my jaw.
A shiver ran down my spine, and an ache deep inside of me began to grow.
He wrapped his other arm around the small of my back and tugged me closer until I was pressed firmly against his body. Then he leaned down, his mouth inches from mine, as his hand tilted my head back.
Impatient, I lifted onto my toes to press my mouth to his. He grinned against my lips, but then took control. I wrapped my arms around his neck as his tongue tangled with mine, making me forget all the horrors of this night, the past month. The past fourteen years.
“I want you,” I breathed against his lips, then started to step backward, leading him upstairs.
He tugged me to his chest. “You’re giving me mixed signals, Mags. Pulling away while you tell me you want me.”
I grinned. “So you don’t want to go upstairs to my bed?”
“You don’t have to leave me for that.” He put his hands under my arms and lifted me up.
I laughed and wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck. “Afraid I’ll change my mind on the way up the stairs?”
A sexy bad-boy smile lit up his face. “I’m not taking my chances.” He kissed me as he headed for the stairs, then lifted his head and grinned as he climbed.
My room was the first on the right, and he strode in, letting me slide down his body as he reached the bed. He sank one hand into my hair and gave me a long, leisurely kiss. When he lifted his face, he looked down at me with lust-filled eyes.
I reached for the top button of my shirt, but he pushed my hand down and started making quick work of the buttons. He spread my shirt open and rested his hands on my waist. Heat flooded my body and my breath increased, making my chest rise and fall. His gaze fell to my breasts as he pushed my shirt over my shoulders and let it drop. My bra was right behind it. His hands slowly skimmed up my sides, cupping my breasts.
He was still wearing his bartender’s shirt. I unbuttoned his shirt, pausing every few seconds while he distracted me with his hands on my body. A confident grin spread across his face as I tugged off his shirt.
I rested my palms on his chest and let my fingertips trail over his pecs. My gaze lowered to his eight-pack abs.
“When do you have time to work out?” I asked in awe.
He laughed. “I’ll tell you about my workout plan later.” Then he pushed me down on the bed and leaned over and unfastened my pants. He pulled them off leisurely, teasing me—no, from the look on his face, I could tell he was teasing us both. Then he grabbed his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a condom. He set both things on the nightstand before taking off his pants.
I reached for him, and he lay down next to me.
“You’re perfect,” he said, sliding his hand behind the back of my head and pulling my mouth up to his. His free hand roamed my body and the V between my legs, making me ache for more.
So why not take it?
I pushed Colt over onto his back, then straddled his waist.
His look of surprise and lust, tempered by a touch of amusement, gave me a thrill. I rested my hands on his shoulders and then lowered my mouth to his neck, kissing my way down over his sexy chest to his abs.
He grabbed my arms and tugged me up to his face, his lips reaching for mine. His lips and tongue danced with mine again until I rose up and snagged the condom off the nightstand.
“Impatient?” he asked, but I could see that he was impatient too.
I lifted a brow. “Complaining?”
He laughed. “Not a chance.”
I opened the package and rolled it onto him, reveling in the feel of him beneath my fingers. Then he grabbed my hips and I guided him into me, closing my eyes as he filled me.
“Jesus, Maggie,” he groaned, his fingers digging into my flesh.
He rolled me onto my back and pulled my leg up to his hip. He kissed me again as he drove deeper. I clung to him, each thrust pushing me higher until I shattered, calling out his name.
Colt gave one last thrust and collapsed on top of me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling him with me as he rolled onto his side. He kissed me again and then lifted his head. Brushing my hair from my cheek, he said, “I love you, Maggie.”
I lifted my hand to his face, but I couldn’t say it back. Not yet.
Chapter 22
“You want to do what?” Colt asked the next morning.
“I’m going to go talk to my brother.”
He shook his head. “No. W
e have no idea what he’ll do. It’s dangerous. He’s dangerous.”
“I have to talk to him.”
“No, you don’t. We’ll find another way.”
“Sorry, but you don’t get a say in the matter.” I got out of bed and headed into my bathroom. Colt followed me in.
I turned on the water for the shower and waited for it to warm up. Colt pulled my back to his chest. “Mags. This is crazy. What do you hope to find out?”
“What he knows about the night I was kidnapped. What he knows about our father.”
“He won’t tell you anything.”
“I still have to try.”
He spun me around and pushed my back up against the wall, kissing me until I was boneless and eager to stay in bed with him all day . . . but I didn’t have that luxury. I was running out of time, and I knew it.
I wrapped my hands around his neck and looked up at his face. “You’re really cute when you’re all protective.”
His brow shot up in mock offense. “Cute?”
I laughed. “Okay, sexy. But I’m still going.”
He took advantage of the shower and our naked bodies to try to get me to change my mind, but I was determined to see this through.
After our shower, I asked Colt to go buy me a burner phone. He went out the front door, wearing nothing but his jeans, so I wasn’t surprised when he came back a few moments later with a phone in his hand.
“You can use this,” he said, handing it over with solemn eyes.
“You used this to communicate with my dad.”
He nodded. “His number’s in there if you want it.”
I curled my upper lip. “I have no intention of calling that man.” Instead, I looked up Owen’s number on my phone, plugged it into the burner, and placed the call.
“Hello,” was his tentative response.
“It’s Magnolia.”
“You texted me with your phone yesterday,” he said in an accusatory tone.
“I know. But I’ve rectified the situation. There was nothing about Tiffany Kessler on your list. Was her file in the batch?”
“No.”
“It was in there when I saw them at Brady’s house. I wonder what it means?”
“I don’t know.” His tone softened. “I haven’t learned anything else, if that’s why you’re calling.”
“Well, I have plenty to tell you.” I told him about talking to Tripp, Detective Martinez’s attempt to scare me into compliance by showing up to “arrest” me, and my face-to-face meeting with my father. I held back the personal stuff, including my father’s insistence that I leave town with him, but I told him about my father’s admission that he’d killed three men and about the strange phone call I’d partially overheard—and my suspicion that it might have been with Bill. I finished my word vomit by telling him that I’d gone to the police station to inform Detective Martinez about my father’s confession.
“But there’s one more thing, Owen,” I said. “Martinez said your uncle met with my father before his disappearance. Your uncle said he talked to him because of an informant, but there wasn’t one.”
“They were sure Uncle Gordon was on the take, but he wasn’t.”
“Are you sure?” I asked softly. When he didn’t respond, I said, “Just remember that I was positive my father was innocent, but I was very, very wrong. Colt has an affidavit from your uncle that he knew a police buddy of his fabricated the charges against Colt Austin and his ex-girlfriend three years ago.”
“How would he know that?”
“Good question, but the affidavit is signed and notarized.”
“Who was the arresting officer?” he asked in a subdued voice.
“Robert Mahoney.”
“He was killed a couple of months ago. A hit-and-run when he was off duty.”
“A month before I came back to town.”
He was still silent.
I’d given him enough to consider. “We have even more proof the serial killer is connected to my father somehow, but I have no idea what to do with that.”
“Let me take care of it. I’m focusing on Tiffany Kessler’s murder. I’ve discovered that Clint Duncan was also a suspect, so I plan on having a chat with him today.”
That caught me by surprise. “Aren’t you still on leave?”
“Technically.”
I suspected that wasn’t confirmation that he was allowed to do it, but Owen was a big boy and could determine his own lines to cross. “Let me know what you find out, and I’ll do the same.” Although it was pretty undeniable I was the one supplying ninety-five percent of the information . . .
“Be careful, Magnolia.”
“Thanks.” I decided not to tell him about my plan to check on my brother, which likely wouldn’t fall under the be careful umbrella.
Colt had been sitting on a barstool at the kitchen counter, watching me pace while I’d talked to Owen. “Does the fact you didn’t tell Frasier about your field trip to downtown Nashville mean you changed your mind?”
“Not a chance.”
I did relent and agree to let Colt drive me up to Nashville, but I told him that he couldn’t come up to Roy’s office with me. He agreed initially, but from the look on his face as we walked into the lobby, I could tell he was going to put up a fuss about having to sit and wait.
I pulled him into a hug and smiled up at him. “Do you trust me?”
Bewilderment clouded his eyes. “Maggie, I have always trusted you.”
My stomach was knotted with nerves, but I forced out a glib laugh. “I can think of a few times that wasn’t true.”
“We’ll talk about those later,” he said. “Let’s go upstairs.”
“Good try.” I pushed him down into a chair. “I’ll call you and put the phone in my pocket. That way you can listen to the whole thing, and if I say a code word, you can come up and save me.”
A mischievous grin lit up his eyes. “Like a safe word?”
I laughed. “Sure.”
“What’s the code word?”
“I don’t know. How about . . . bubbles?”
He grabbed my arm and tugged me closer for a kiss. “We’ll give that code word a go later.”
I pulled loose and shook my head. “Don’t be so sure of yourself. We’ll take this day by day.” I was lying. I had no intention of getting rid of him.
“Then I need to step up my game,” he teased. “And make sure you don’t even consider cutting me loose.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” I walked toward the elevator and joined several people who were waiting for the doors to open.
My phone vibrated, and when I pulled it out of my purse, I was surprised to see Colt’s name on the screen. I answered as I glanced back at him.
“Forgetting something?”
“I was getting to it.”
Worry covered his face. “Be careful, Mags. Don’t take any crazy chances, okay?”
“I won’t.”
The elevator doors opened, and I followed the small group inside, pressing the button for Roy’s floor.
I slipped my phone into the front pocket of my jeans.
I was surprised that I was so calm as I walked into the office Belinda and I had broken into just last week. I stopped at the receptionist’s desk and gave her a friendly smile. “Is Roy Steele in?”
She smiled back. “Yes, but he’s really busy dealing with Bill’s absence. Did you have an appointment? I don’t see anything in his schedule.”
I waved my hand in dismissal. “We threw it together kind of last minute, so maybe he forgot to tell you. I know where his office is, so I’ll just see myself back.”
I headed to the hallway without waiting for permission, but she didn’t try to stop me.
Roy’s office door was open, so I took a second to compose myself and then stepped into the threshold.
My brother was sitting at his desk, his head bent forward as he rubbed his forehead. Seeing him like this—vulnerable and alone—made me feel a little
sorry for him. I remembered how terrified he’d been when Momma was dying. Maybe there was still a chance to put what was left of our family back together.
Then I thought of our father and the hopelessness returned.
“Hello, Roy,” I said softly.
His gaze jerked up and rage contorted his face. “What are you doing here?”
“I want to talk.”
He reached for the phone on his desk. “I’m calling security.”
“I’m only here to talk.” As he put the phone to his ear, I said, “We can talk about the house. You want it, right? We can discuss that too.”
He put the phone down and rested his hands on his desk. “I’ll give you ten minutes.”
I nodded and shut the door behind me, then sat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. I took one look at the fury in his eyes and my heart broke. “Why do you hate me so much?”
“That’s why you’re here?” he asked. “I thought you wanted to discuss something productive.”
“When you offered me fifty thousand dollars to leave town, you told me that I’d always ruined everything. What else did I ruin?”
He pushed out a huge breath, then said, “I already told you, Magnolia.”
“I stole the attention,” I said. “Daddy loved me more than you, but after he left, Momma was too upset to give you enough love.”
“You make it sound so petty,” he said.
“You’re not wrong,” I said. “You needed love and attention, and I was high-maintenance. I’m sorry.”
He stammered, clearly caught off guard. “I was alone.”
“I know. I really am sorry.” Most of his anger was gone, so I decided to plunge right in. “Were you there that night? The night of my graduation party?”
“You know I was spending the night at Tyler’s house.”
“Did you follow me into the woods?”
He didn’t answer.
“You and Tyler used to love playing in the woods. You built that fort out there. Did you ever see an abandoned house?”
“What if we did?”
“Did you follow me out to that house, Roy?”
He drummed his fingers on his desk and refused to look at me.
Curtain Call: Magnolia Steele Mystery #4 Page 21
